Modern mobile phones and other electronic devices commonly utilize textual recognition algorithms that allow a user to enter text at high rates of speed on a variety of user input hardware. However, ambiguous user inputs can result in improperly recognized textual elements, which may require tedious or interruptive correction procedures.
For example, a smart phone or other device may utilize a touch-screen (hereinafter “touchscreen”) device to display a keyboard on the screen and receive swipe, tap, or other touch-based user input gestures on the displayed keyboard, from which words and other textual elements may be recognized. At times, the smart phone may recognize an erroneous textual element from a user input gesture. If the user sees a recognition error in the last-recognized textual element, the user may be able to correct the error by tapping on a menu item presented within a list of alternately recognizable textual elements. However, this procedure may interrupt the user's train of thought for entering additional text. Such interruptions are counter-productive for entering text at high speeds.
In some systems, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,542,029, the new text insertion cursor is automatically restored to its previous location following a recognition error correction. However, such systems reduce the user's control over the text insertion cursor location, and are perceived as non-intuitive to new users. Furthermore, independently defining and implementing a gesture to initiate a process to repair a recognition error may be impossible for some third-party software applications to do. For example, a third-party software developer may desire to implement the usage of a long-tap gesture or a double-tap gesture to allow a user to indicate an erroneously recognized textual element. However, the third-party software developer may be unable to easily implement such functionality because some operating systems do not allow overloading other inherent behavior (e.g., the presentment of a “cut/copy/paste” menu) in response to receiving such a gesture directed at one or more textual elements.
Moreover, as a user naturally composes a body of text, such as a document, the composition often does not proceed sequentially. In a natural text composition process, even when the user is not correcting a recognition error, the user may desire to relocate the text insertion cursor in order to input new text non-sequentially. However, indication of the precise location for which relocation of the text insertion cursor is desired on a touchscreen (and other user input devices) can be problematic. For example, if the smart phone user needs to tap with the user's finger on a relatively small touchscreen location that is between two small textual elements in order to relocate the text insertion cursor there, there may be a high probability of the user tapping on an undesired location. Inaccurate or unintended cursor relocation can be particularly frustrating for many users who desire to enter text into their electronic devices.
The need exists for a system that overcomes the above problems, as well as one that provides additional benefits. Overall, the examples herein of some prior or related systems and their associated limitations are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of existing or prior systems will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the following Detailed Description.